Mexico War on Drugs: Authorities Destroy Homemade Armored Cars Used by Cartels

Mexico's long-running war on drugs continues, with authorities destroying 14 homemade armored cars that are often used by drug cartels. These improvised armored vehicles are often used by cartel fighters in their land battles against Mexican authorities and rival drug organizations.

Called "monstruos," or "Monsters," back in Mexico, these improvised armored vehicles are often adapted from commercial trucks. They are often welded with steel plate armor and souped up with weapons such as firing ports and gun turrets. Some, including one of the recently-destroyed vehicles, even had thick steel ramming prows welded to the front.

According to the Associated Press, the federal attorney general's office released a video of a crane with a claw ripping one of the vehicles apart. The demolition happened in Tamaulipas state. One of the improvised armored vehicles that authorities in Mexico destroyed was painted in green camouflage to resemble a Mexican army vehicle.

Tamaulipas state is along the US-Mexico border and is currently where the Northeast Cartel is warring with the Gulf Cartel, which was responsible for the deaths of two Americans this year. Authorities did not confirm whether the destroyed modified vehicles belonged to cartels or other criminal groups.

These "monstruos" are made to look very intimidating with their plate armor and weaponry. However, these have proven to be vulnerable in practice as the added armor has added so much weight that they are slow and unwieldy. They also often break down and are easy to spot. The vehicles also seem to be vulnerable to incendiary devices or munitions, as many have been found burned in the ongoing Mexican War on Drugs.

Other Exotic Weapons That Drug Cartels in Mexico Are Currently Using

As the Mexico war on drugs continues, Mexican drug cartels have adopted tactics that have been copied from terrorist groups in the Middle East, as well as more modern weaponry.

As the Associated Press previously reported in 2022, drug cartels are now using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on roads against Mexican army vehicles, copying tactics often used by Al Qaida and the Islamic State.

With the availability of drones getting more and more common, these gangs have also used modified drones to drop small bombs against their enemies. The most feared of these cartel operatives are often called "droneros," or drone operators. Their weapons, while often crude and dangerous to load and operate, are indiscriminate as their bombs can often destroy large areas that might get innocent civilians caught up.

Drug Cartels Continue Turf Battles in Rural Western Mexico, Forcing Hundreds To Flee

Cartels fighting one another has become such a big problem in the western Mexico state of Michoacan that around 700 civilians have been forced to evacuate,

According to Yahoo! News, many civilians were awakened by gunfire in the pre-dawn hours of last Tuesday. The gun battles between rival drug cartels chased people off their homes, with many of them fleeing to a church in El Rosario. The battles were reportedly waged between the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and a coalition of local gangs.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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